One-Winged Angel
by Marysia
Summary: The story of Sephiroth's past. The beginning is also about Lucrecia and Hojo. Some shounen-ai..
1. Prologue - 14 Years Before

The cold metal burned into Lucrecia's palms. The light was almost blinding. Still she stared, stared into the brilliant emerald depths of the tank that held her son. Her hands and face were pressed up against the smooth metal surface, her anxious expression directed at the view visible through the small glass porthole. Thebaby had been immersed in the tank of Mako for months. The sight of him floating there caused Lucrecia to cringe. His tiny arms and legs flailed helplessly, and his gleaming silver hair stuck out in all directions. Although he could take in oxygen through the tubes plastered to his face, it looked extremely painful. Little Sephiroth was treated like a machine. Nutrients were pumped into the tank for him to absorb, and the Mako was changed once a day. Still, the poor child was constantly living in unclean liquid.

A tear trickled down Lucrecia's cheek. How could Hojo have done this? He was a monster...Before Sephiroth had even been born, Hojo had injected him with tremendous amounts of Mako energy. Now he was being forced to absorb even more. The constant assault on the young child's body would give him superhuman strength and abilities--if he didn't die first. Mako was an extremely dangerous substance. The sight of her little one like this was almost too much for her to bear.

Lucrecia had never loved Hojo. She had married him in the name of science--as a mere tool to his twisted experiments with Mako. Now, she hated him more than she had previously thought possible. The things he could do to her son--their son--proved that he had no human feelings. She wished she had pursued a relationship with her secret childhood crush, a Turk named Vincent. She knew he loved her--but by that point she was far too involved with Hojo's twisted experiments to stop. Hojo--an inhuman monster! A monster! The thoughts raged frantically in Lucrecia's mind. As soon as her son had been born--on the first of November--he had been snatched away from her and subjected to horrible tortures. She had never even been allowed to hold him. Not once! 

The only thing she hadbeen able to give him was his name. Sephiroth. The name was imposing. Lucrecia chose it to represent her shattered dreams. When Lucrecia had discovered she was pregnant, her heart had filled with hopes for her child. She had planned to raise him well. She prayed he would end up being a rich man--a Mythril miner, perhaps. She would teach him all he needed to know. That was her goal, but Hojo stood in the way. Sephiroth was being overloaded with Mako. If he survived the treatment, as it appeared he would, his mind would be very unstable--he might even go insane at some point. Lucrecia's worst fear was that he would become evil. His Mako-given strength would allow him to conquer the world and engulf it in darkness. Lucrecia shuddered to think of what would happen then. She hoped against hope that the Mako wouldn't destroy him, and that he'd end up being a kind and wealthy man, as she had planned. However, the possibility of that becoming a reality was slim.

Lucrecia jumped to the sudden touch of a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ready yet?" Hojo's cold voice intoned.

"I'll never be ready." Lucrecia's voice was bitter.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Hojo's face. "I expected that response," he said icily. "Start the process!" he barked at a young engineer standing nearby. The man leaned over an intricate control panel and pressed a series of buttons.

Although Lucrecia didn't want to watch what was happening, didn't want to see, she found she could not tear her eyes away from the glass porthole in the heavy metal door. A panel over the floor of the tank slid back, revealing an intricately crafted drain. With a rushing, slurping sound, the Mako-infused green liquid began gurgling through the hole. As the level of the fluid dropped, Sephiroth floated to the top of the tank, his head finally above water. He spluttered and coughed, struggling to draw breath. A mechanical arm reached down and tore the tubes away from the baby's face. A surge of natural oxygen invaded Sephiroth's young body, causing him to gasp and choke. Within a few seconds, however, the child's lungs adjusted to the change. He lay in a tangled heap upon the freezing metal floor of the tank. 

A strangled sob broke the silence. "Look at him!" Lucrecia bawled, all traces of dignity gone. "He can't even sit up..how could you do this to him? How?" Tears streamed down her face.

Hojo looked at her disdainfully. "This is all in the name of science, my dear Lucrecia." Showing incredible daring, he lay a hand on Lucrecia's shoulder.

In a heartbeat, Lucrecia's sadness transformed into white-hot rage. "How dare you!" she shrieked, slapping his hand away violently. Her voice was sharper than a thousand needles. "Curse the name of science! Science? What about love? He's my son! Our son!" She slid to the floor, all energy drained from her body. Although Lucrecia had once been powerful, her recent sadness had robbed her of that strength. She cared about nothing except for Sephiroth.

Her will to live revolved around him.

Stepping over her limp form in disgust, Hojo pressed a red button on the nearby control panel. The door of the tank began to slowly open. Lucrecia scrambled to her feet, energized by the thought of possibly holding her son. Hojo, however, would never let such a thing come to pass. He called for assistance, and several junior engineers appeared within seconds, wheeling a flat steel cart. 

"Take the boy and clean him up," Hojo ordered expressionlessly. The men, looking slightly disgusted, picked up the naked baby, wrapped him in a stark white sheet, and wheeled him away on the cart, ignoring his wails of fear and surprise.

"He has a name!" Lucrecia scolded. Hojo ignored her.

Hojo's cold hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. Ignoring the passionately sobbing Lucrecia gripping the door handle, desperately trying to wrench open the locked door, he floored the gas pedal and sped away in a roar of dust. The baby lay motionless in a cage on the passenger seat. Sephiroth had been free of Mako poisoning and extremely lively--so lively that his cries had been nothing short of obnoxious. To make the drive easier, Hojo had given him a large bottle of milk--containing a hefty dose of sleeping potion. 

The old car rattled along the dark, abandoned roads much too slowly for Hojo's taste. He would have preferred one of the sleek, fast Shinra vehicles, but he had been advised not to, as a lone Shinra car traveling along back roads late at night would have looked suspicious. Shinra employees generally flaunted their presence, traveling in numbers down well-used streets. However, the car Hojo was driving was hard to control and moved at a snail's pace. He would have preferred looking suspicious.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but couldn't have been more than a few hours, Hojo arrived at his destination. The large, stone building he faced looked like a prison, although it wasn't. It was, however, more complicated and mysterious than the wooden "King's Home Orphanage" sign would have led visitors to believe.

Stepping out of the car, Hojo slammed the door a little louder than he had intended. The imposing door of the orphanage opened a crack, and a long, mean face peered out. Seeing Hojo, the door opened wider and the woman inside came out. 

"What took you?" she growled. "I've been waitin' by the door for at least an hour!"

"They insisted I take this dumpy old car," Hojo replied with a trace of impatience in his voice. He strongly disliked the woman who ran the orphanage. 

The feeling was mutual. "Where's the kid?" she growled.

"Right here," replied Hojo coolly. He opened the passenger door and handed the cage to the woman. 

"You put 'im in a cage?" she asked dubiously.

"It was neccessary to avoid contamination," Hojo answered drily.

"You make him sound like he's one of your test specimens or somethin'!"

"He is."

Ignoring the woman's obvious disgust, he quickly changed the subject. "How much do I owe you?"

"Ten thousand," the woman replied flatly.

Hojo let out a strangled gasp. "What?! I'll never pay that much!"

"Then take back your test subject," she growled.

His face burning, Hojo reached for his wallet and handed her a wad of bills. "Nine thousand," he said. "No more."

The woman accepted his offer. "Fine. Now be gone with you!"

Hojo was in no hurry to leave. He watched his son being conveyed into the orphanage without budging. Finally, he turned and climbed into the car. He drove away, never once looking back. 

By the time Hojo neared his laboratory, the first fingers of light had begun to drift across the horizon. He wasn't too worried about Lucrecia. He'd calm her down. He always managed--

The car suddenly ground to a halt. Hojo gasped, his eyes glued to the horizon. There was more there than just the approaching dawn. In the direction of his lab, a strange red glow burned brightly..

Lucrecia had stared after the car for at least an hour after it had gone. She made no effort to control her tears, which splashed down her cheeks and onto the ground. Finally, she realized there was no point in standing outside waiting. Hojo wouldn't come back until the morning, and there was work to do..

Lucrecia plodded slowly down the hall, avoiding the eyes of all the engineers. She reached Hojo's secret lab, its door handle sealed with an electronic combination lock. Listlessly, she keyed in the combination and dragged herself into the room.

A sudden anger burned through Lucrecia. Looking around, she saw beakers and boilers, experiments galore in progress. She was posessed with a sudden and intense desire to destroy it, to smash it all to smithereens. Picking up an empty glass vial on the table next to her, she hurled it to the ground. The loud crash that followed only kindled her rage more. Picking up the glass containers on the table next to her one at a time, she threw them all

aside. Each shattered beaker fueled her fury. She smashed everything on the table within seconds. It wasn't enough. Everything in the room, everything in the whole laboratory must be destroyed! She overturned an entire table covered in vials, these filled with hissing, bubbling substances. This felt good! It was exhilirating! She wouldn't stop until everything in the laboratory--in the world--existed no longer. 

She rushed back to the small table which she had destroyed the contents of first. Picking it up by one of its legs, she hurled it to the ground. The leg snapped off. Picking it up, Lucrecia used it to aid her destruction. Expensive equipment flew to shards beneath the metal rod. Hazardous chemicals splashed to the floor, running together into a foaming, hissing puddle.

It wasn't enough! Hojo's laboratory had been far too easy to ruin. She needed more! Flying out the door, she dashed down the hall. Every unlocked room was robbed of its contents too soon for Lucrecia's desire. This was too easy! She needed a challenge! The door across the hall was locked, of course. She had only seen the wonders it held once in her life. She had to destroy them all. Her life wouldn't be complete unless she did. Hacking violently at the lock with her tool, she managed to open the door a crack. That was enough. It would all be destroyed! All of it! The equipment within the door must have cost millions of gil. All the better for Lucrecia! She smashed, shattered, and destroyed with a fury she'd never felt before. The more she ruined, the better she felt!

Shouts and curses rung against her eardrums. She ignored the sounds. Rushing feet swarmed up behind her. Although her insanity was growing, she knew that there would be no more destruction if she was caught. The room of the lab she was in had one huge window. She ran to it and slammed the table leg into it. With a crash so loud it could have deafened the scientists, the window gave. The hole, at first small, grew and grew. Lucrecia threw herself through it, running with all her might. She had to destroy..

Back in Hojo's secret lab, the room she had first vented her frustrations on, the pool of hazardous chemicals continued to bubble and steam. A wooden table had collapsed into the center of it..The fluid, dangerous and flammable, soaked into the wood. It burst into flames...


	2. In The Beginning...

one-winged angel

Sephiroth clenched his teeth and stared resolutely into his bowl of soggy, cold porridge. He concentrated on poking his spoon into the gray lumps, taking in every detail of the cracked wooden bowl. His appetite, as usual, was much smaller than the portion he was given. He was trying his hardest not to be bothered by the constant insults and taunts of the other boys. He knew they were all in the exact situation as him, or they wouldn't be at the orphanage in the first place. He knew they teased him in a failed attempt to raise their rock-bottom self-esteem. He knew all this, but their words still stung. He could not prevent the tips of his ears from turning slightly pink as he struggled to control the rising embarrassment and anger that he felt. Why was it always _him_ they picked on? They all had their little groups of friends to hang out with, but he was always alone. He only had one friend, a boy named Qabalah. Although he appreciated Qabalah's efforts to stick up for him, they were always futile. Sephiroth had been chosen as their target, and this could not be changed. 

Sephiroth knew that there was something different about him. Not even he knew exactly what it was, but it always seemed to be there. In the way others treated him, in the way he acted himself. Although his physical appearance certainly did not determine his personality, it seemed to stand as yet another reminder that he was not a normal child. His long, silver hair practically shone with an unearthly light. The color itself was unusual—all the other boys had various shades of brown, black or blond hair, nothing out of the ordinary. Sephiroth had only ever seen gray hair on the elderly, and that muted tone never came close to approaching his radiant silver. His eyes, too, were unusual—the color, green, was relatively common, but his eyes _glowed_. That was the only way he could describe the constant light that emanated from them. Something was different about him and that was just the way things were. The other boys didn't understand him. They feared what they did not understand. They teased him in an effort to cover their own fear and to appear more self-confident than they actually were. He knew all this, but it made no difference.

Sephiroth sighed and rose from the table, not eager to start the day's chores but unable to put up with the other boys' taunts any longer. Sephiroth's only friend, Qabalah, reached over and picked up the unfinished bowl of porridge on the table next to him—even though the boys received far less food than they needed, Sephiroth rarely finished that which he did get. Qabalah shook his head as he shoveled down the remaining porridge—if Sephiroth didn't start eating more, he would probably become seriously ill. But he didn't listen to anyone when they told him this. He never listened to anyone, and he rarely spoke. He always seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and even though Qabalah was the only person who was ever kind to him, Sephiroth never showed much appreciation for this. He hid his feelings constantly, but Qabalah could tell that they were often raging within him when he was silent. Subtle things, like the way he held himself and the way his eyes slanted, could reveal quite a bit about the way he felt. Because Qabalah knew how to read Sephiroth's body language, he knew that Sephiroth really did appreciate his kindness, even though he couldn't express it.

After finishing his chores, Sephiroth retreated to the small courtyard behind the orphanage and sat in a shady corner, leaning his back against the warm brick wall. While he never could escape the constant taunts of his peers, he felt much freer and easier able to ignore them when he was outside. His mind itself felt clearer when he was by himself—at mealtimes or when he was surrounded with people, he often became confused for reasons he didn't understand. It was as if his mind became clouded…yet another mystery Sephiroth didn't quite understand about himself. 

In fact, there was a lot he didn't know. Most of the boys, in an attempt to fool themselves, always insisted that their parents would come back for them one day. Sephiroth knew this wasn't true (if it was, why would they be in the orphanage in the first place?) but, unlike the others, he had no memory of his life before King's Home at all. The other boys always insisted that they remembered their parents—a tall and strong father, or a mother who had curly hair and a nice laugh. Even though Sephiroth knew most of their "memories" were lies, he figured they probably remembered _something_ about their past. He was different. He had absolutely no idea what his life was like before he had come. He had asked the older boys if they remembered his arrival, but they only answered his queries with jeers and taunts. What was it about him that was so different?

Sephiroth was instantly jerked out of his musings by a rotten tomato that splattered against the wall next to where he was sitting. The boy in charge of taking out the garbage had evidently decided once again to make a large mess, blame Sephiroth for it, and cause the rest of his day to be spend cleaning it up. Other boys in that area cheered and began to encourage him with shouts and yells. Normally Sephiroth finished his chores early in the day, and theoretically had nothing else to do other than his schoolwork. However, something like this happened nearly every day, and Sephiroth was sure that Matron must have caught on by now. Yet she did nothing. Sometimes the whole world seemed to be against him…Sephiroth was forced to do his schoolwork late at night or fail, because most of the other boys purposely messed up their tasks in order to give Sephiroth more work to do. Every day was full of doing other people's chores!

Sephiroth's head suddenly snapped up, his eyes blazing with fury. He'd put up with this for far too long. He watched as the boy picked up another handful of rotten vegetables and hurled it in his direction. This time the boy's aim was better, and the smelly, decomposing material hit Sephiroth dead on, splashing all over his hair and face.

Everything happened in less than a second.

Sephiroth shook his head vigorously, clearing the vegetables out of his eyes, which had narrowed to tiny slits. How _dare_ he!! Sephiroth's perfectly composed face vanished as violent fantasies raced through his head, his pent-up rage escaping through a hissing shriek. 

However, even Sephiroth was not prepared for what happened next. As if pulled by an invisible puppet string, the boy's chest was suddenly yanked upwards and he was thrown backwards against the opposite side of the courtyard. His head hit the wall with a sickening crunch sound, and he slumped down in a faint. Blood ran from his mouth where he'd inadvertently clamped his teeth down on his tongue.

The laughter and shouts immediately ceased. Half the boys surrounded their fallen comrade, while the other half ran and started yelling at Sephiroth, cursing him and accusing him of murder (even though their friend was obviously still alive). Sephiroth just sat in silent shock, his eyes fixed on the injured boy. _Had he done that?_

"Matron, go get Matron!" yelled one of them, his voice high and panicked. A horde of boys instantly rushed back into the orphanage, each one wanting to report the news first. Qabalah rushed over to Sephiroth, shaking his shoulder and trying to snap him out of his trance-like stare at the hurt boy. 

"Sephiroth, are you okay?" he worriedly queried.

"I..I don't know.." Sephiroth's reply seemed to be coming from far away, and his eyes had taken on a glassy quality.

"Did you do that?"

"I think so…"

"How?"

"I don't know…" Sephiroth suddenly snapped back to reality. His eyes became wide and desperate, and his hands frantically clutched at Qabalah's clothing. "Please..help me!"

"What, how? Help you with what?" Qabalah knelt next to Sephiroth, clasping his hands. "What's wrong?"

"I..I don't know..What's wrong with me?"

Qabalah could only blink and shake his head. Sephiroth was incoherent with fear or shock. 

"I..I didn't..I wouldn't..How could I?"

Qabalah opened his mouth to speak, but everyone in the courtyard was instantly silenced by a thunderous roar from Matron.

"WHAT IS GOING ON OUT HERE?"

She was a large, imposing woman. She stood at least six feet tall, and glared at everyone and everything. She appeared to have no respect for anyone, and certainly not for any of them. She marched over to the injured boy. "What happened?"

"It was Sephiroth, ma'am," volunteered one of the younger boys. "He did this!"

Picking the injured boy up and cradling him with one large arm, Matron marched over to Sephiroth. "Are you responsible for this, boy?"

Sephiroth couldn't speak. His eyes darted frantically from one point to another as he attempted to reply, but failed each time he tried.

"I..I.."

Grabbing Sephiroth's arm roughly, she dragged him to his feet. "Follow me!" She stalked back into the orphanage with Sephiroth and the injured boy. After placing him in his bed and tending to him, she turned her rage on Sephiroth. The boy was so terrified he could hardly speak, but he managed to string together a few words.

"Is..is..he..dead?"

"No, of course not," snapped Matron. "He is merely suffering from a concussion. He will be fine. But how did you do this to him, and why?"

"I..I don't know," Sephiroth had to reply. "I know that sounds like an excuse, but I really don't know how I did it…I don't even know if I did."

"Oh? Explain."

"I was angry at him…He was throwing garbage at me. I mentally visualized him crashing against the wall, but…I didn't actually want him to. I was just angry. Then he suddenly did exactly what I'd imagined! I..I don't know how.."

Much to Sephiroth's amazement, he thought he saw a look of triumph on the Matron's face. It vanished quickly, however, and was replaced by her normal sneer.

"Why should I believe _that_? You just imagined it and it happened?"

Sephiroth's face had hardened back into its typical emotionless expression, well hiding the fear he felt. "I don't care if you believe it or not. It's the truth." 

Matron's eyes were hard as she reached for her cane.

"No! Please, don't hurt me, it was an accident, r-really.." Sephiroth's composed expression vanished as he backed against the door. Matron started towards him with the cane, but he found the doorknob and shoved it open, running out the door and down the hall. Matron watched him go, then smiled grimly as she lifted the phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Yes, we're finally beginning to see results."

~

Sephiroth ran to the dormitory and darted under his bed. He lay there for a long time with his head pressed against the ground, inhaling dust and trying not to cough. He could see a shaft of sunlight from a nearby window and watched the shadows lengthen as time passed. He knew Qabalah would be up to see him eventually, especially if he didn't appear for supper. After that incident, he wasn't planning to eat with them ever again. He wasn't going to stay any longer. He couldn't. It was dangerous for him and for the others.

Eventually Qabalah came. "Come out, Sephiroth…Nobody's going to hurt you, especially not now. They're eating."

It took several minutes of coaxing before Sephiroth would leave his hiding place. He shook slightly, not even attempting to hold his composure. "You have no idea how scared I feel right now…" he murmured quietly, staring at the ground.

"What are you scared of? The boys? They won't do anything worse than they already have. They're _scared _of you now. They're afraid you'll do the same thing to them that you did to him. And Matron won't do anything either. This is going to sound really weird, but I think she's happy that you did that. I saw her talking on the phone to someone earlier. She seemed really excited. Talking about 'finally having success' or something."

"None of that…" Sephiroth seemed far away again. "I'm scared of myself. I don't know how I did that, or why. And I didn't want to! I would never hurt someone like that on purpose. I get mad at people sometimes, but everyone does. And I think I had a right to be upset, with the vegetables and all. But I didn't want to hurt him like that, and I'm not sure how I did. There are two sides of me…" Sephiroth's voice broke off, and it was evident he was trying not to lose control of himself and break down crying. "I'm a nice person, even though none of them can see it. I'm kind of quiet, sure, but I've only been ridiculed when I speak. But then…there's a different part of me, one that I can't control. If I get upset enough, or mad enough, I become a…completely different person…" At this point, Sephiroth couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Making noises of contempt at his own weakness, Sephiroth allowed himself to cry. "I…I don't know what to do…I'm afraid I'll hurt someone else…I just THOUGHT that, and it happened! It wasn't intentional, really it wasn't. I'm so scared…This world would…would be a lot safer if I was dead."

Qabalah's hand shot out and touched Sephiroth's shoulder. "Don't talk like that!" he hissed firmly. "Don't worry. Everyone loses control of themselves when they're angry. You'll be fine. Everything will be okay."

Sephiroth just looked at him, not speaking for a while. Then he finally said, "They don't lose control like I do. I stop being myself and become…a monster." 


	3. A Surprise

Author's note: Finally updated, after almost a year! Warning: This chapter contains some shounen-ai (male/male stuff, but nothin bad), so if that offends ya, don't read. ^_^o But if ya love shounen-ai like me, enjoy. ^_^ This is my first shounen-ai fic.  
  
  
  
Sephiroth turned away and stared at the wall, his gaze unfocused. He shook slightly, and his fists clasped and unclasped in a way that indicated inner torment. Qabalah wanted to help, but he didn't know how. This feeling of futility was common for him, because when Sephiroth was upset he never allowed anyone to help.  
  
Qabalah lay a hand on each of Sephiroth's shoulders, trying to control his trembling. He began to massage gently, but Sephiroth broke away.  
  
"Don't touch me!" he snapped. "I'm a freak! A monster! I'll tear you to pieces the same way I hurt him!"  
  
"Calm down.." urged Qabalah softly. "You're not a monster..."  
  
"Didn't you SEE what happened?" cried Sephiroth. "I didn't even touch him! I'm different, Qabalah, can't you see it? The way my eyes glow, my hair...The way I can't fit in no matter how hard I try...I'm different and I'm a monster. And I'll ruin your life...Leave me now...Please..."  
  
"No, Sephiroth." Qabalah crawled around to Sephiroth's front, looking straight into his luminous green eyes. "I'm never going to leave you. Everyone needs someone...You need me...And I need you..."  
  
"I don't need anyone," Sephiroth muttered.  
  
Qabalah's eyes were pleading as he reached a hand out and gripped Sephiroth's shoulder again. "Yes, you do..."  
  
"Please, I'm begging you! Your life will be ripped to pieces if you don't leave. I'm going to destroy the world unless someone kills me...I don't have control! I'm different!"  
  
A single tear slid down Qabalah's cheek. "I...Can't leave you, Sephiroth. I'm bound to you...I don't just stand up for you because you're teased, I stand up for you because you're you..." Qabalah blinked awkwardly, trying to stop the tears, but more came. Noticing that Sephiroth had began weeping quietly as well, he extended his hand and brushed away the tears, although Qabalah's own were coming at an increased pace.  
  
"Yes, you're different, Sephiroth...And that's why I...I..." Qabalah's voice cracked and he turned his face away. "I...Care about you a lot, Sephiroth." Sniffling, he made no effort to control his tears now, because it would have been wasted energy.  
  
Sephiroth whimpered softly between tears. Nobody had ever told him that before. Ever. He suddenly, uncharacteristically, leapt forward and hugged Qabalah tightly, burying his head in Qabalah's shirt, his tears soaking into the thin fabric. He felt Qabalah's rapid heartbeat, and lingered in his warmth before pulling away.  
  
"Nobody's ever told me that, Qabalah...Th-thank you.." Sephiroth's voice broke again. Qabalah had never seen Sephiroth so emotional in the entire time they had known each other; Sephiroth rarely expressed emotion in the slightest, let alone to this extent. However, he responded in kind, barely able to keep any form of control over himself. He wanted to just throw himself into Sephiroth's arms and kiss him, but he knew the other boy would probably be shocked and scared if that happened. So he just reached up and brushed the tears away, and was astonished when Sephiroth reached up and did the same.  
  
Deciding to take a chance, Qabalah pulled Sephiroth closer and nuzzled Sephiroth's cheek, his own becoming wet with Sephiroth's tears. Sephiroth responded in much the same way, until their faces were streaked with each other's tears and their own.  
  
Qabalah, again deciding to take a risk, gently kissed Sephiroth's cheek. The other made a small whimper of surprise, but then surprised Qabalah by turning his head so that their lips came into contact. They remained that way for several seconds, then broke apart, both blushing furiously.  
  
"I'm sorry..I don't know what— " Qabalah began, but was cut off by Sephiroth.  
  
"Don't apologize," he murmured, a strange, distant look in his eyes.  
  
"I'm leaving here," Sephiroth finally announced. "Tonight. I can't stay anymore, not after what happened earlier. This place will become a living hell for me, even worse than it was before. They'll kick me out after I turn eighteen anyway, which is in just a couple of years...And I don't to be here...I want to see the world..." Qabalah was surprised to see that Sephiroth actually looked happy, as if he was anticipating his future instead of dreading it like he had always seemed to in the past.  
  
"How will you escape?" queried Qabalah.  
  
"I'll figure something out," replied Sephiroth vaguely.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I don't know. Midgar, probably." He smiled slightly, a sight that Qabalah had rarely seen but that made him all the more radiant. "I know it sounds like everyone else, but, I want to join SOLDIER. I know I'd do well there."  
  
Qabalah finally mustered enough nerve to ask the question he'd been dreading the answer to.  
  
"C-Can I come..?"  
  
Sephiroth, still showing uncharacteristic amounts of emotion, rolled his eyes. In response, he pulled Qabalah in for another kiss, this one lasting longer than the previous one. Qabalah licked Sephiroth's lips once, sending a pleasant shiver through Sephiroth's body. When they finally seperated, Sephiroth had a silly grin on his face, something Qabalah had never seen in all the years they'd been together.  
  
"Go back to dinner, if you want," Sephiroth instructed. "Go to bed as normal. I won't sleep, and I'll come to wake you up when the time has come. I think I know of a way we can get out this place, and once we are, getting to Midgar should be fairly easy."  
  
"Okay..." replied Qabalah. Then, a trace of awkwardness on his face again, he murmured softly, "I've felt like this about you for a long time, Sephiroth..I just didn't know how to tell you."  
  
Sephiroth smiled tenderly at Qabalah and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, everything will be fine. For now just focus on escaping this place."  
  
As they seperated, Qabalah had a broad grin on his face. He was sure Sephiroth had forgotten about his earlier comments of being a monster, sure nothing like the earlier incident would ever happen again. He was sure that from now on Sephiroth's life would be happy, sure that he would never suffere again the way he had suffered at the orphanage. Sure that the two of them would remain together for the remainder of their lives, sure that their future was now secure.  
  
But Qabalah did not know what lay ahead. 


End file.
